Tunnel-roof.



Patented Dec. 9, |902.

J. C. MEEM.

TUNNEL RUUF.

(Application Med Apr. 2l, 1902.)

(No Model.)

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' Nirnn STATES PATENT Fries.

JAMES C. MEEM, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO BOROUGH CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

TUNNEL-ROOF.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 715,405, dated December 9, 1902. Application filed April 21, 1902. Serial No. 103,995. @lo model-l To a/ZZ whom, t may concern,.- cavations'being carried on from beneath, the Be it known that 1, JAMES C. MEEM, a citishield being equally well adapted to be used zen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, for tunneling below a surface that is not of in the county of Kings and State of New York, mud or Water.

5 have invented a new and useful Tunn el-Rooi", The general form of the structure is by pref- 5 5 of which the following is a specification. erence that of the segment of a circle when This invention relates generally to tunnels, viewed in elevation, as shown in Figs. 1, 2,

and particularly to a shield or rooic to be emand 4, or a pointed roof-section, as shown in ployed in connection therewith. Fig. 3.

to The object of the invention is in a ready, In the arrangement shown in Figs. 1, 2, 6o feasible, and thoroughly practical manner to and 4 the structure is exhibited as being comeliminate the danger of cave-ins attendant posed of ribs or compression members 1, conupon building tunnels either subaqueous or structed of steel beams spaced apart at suitunderground. able intervals and bent on the desired seg- 15 With these and other objects in View, as ment of 'a circle. Upon these ribs are laid 65 will appear as the nature of the invention is longitudinally-disposed wooden arch membetter understood, the same consists in the bers 2, which may, if preferred, be spiked or novel construction and combination of parts bolted together, the Whole being made up into of a shield or roof for tunnels, as will be heresuitable lengths or sectionssay of from one zo inafter fully described and claimed. to two hundred feet each. The section is 70 In the accompanying drawings, forming a bound together laterally by rods or eyebars part of this specification, and in which like 3 passing over the arch as bands and undernumerals of reference indicate corresponding neath as tension chord members et and being parts, there are illustrated three forms of emretained under suitable tension either by 25 bodiment of the invention capable of carrytourniquets 5, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, or 75 ing the same into practical operation, it beby a turnbuckle 6, as shown in Fig. 2. Coning understood that the elements therein exnecting the terminals of the ribs 1 are chordhibited may be varied or changed as to shape, stifteners 7, which may be held associated proportion, and exact manner of assemblage with the under side thereof by brackets and 3o without departing from the spirit thereof. hangers S and 8a, respectively, as clearly 8o In the drawings, Figure 1 is a View in eleshown in Figs. 1 and 2. The ribs 1 are by vation exhibiting one form of embodiment of preference made of I-beams, as shown inFig. the invention as positioned in a tunnel in L1, and are thus capable of withstanding great course of construction. Fig. 2 is a similar strain without yielding. While it is gener- 3 5 view of a modified form of roof or shield. ally preferred to make the ribs of I-beams, 85 Fig. 3 is a similar View of a still further modithey may be made of plate-girder or timber, ied form of roof or shield. Fig. i is a view and the arch-pieces or voussoirs may be made in elevation, partly in section, showing one of steel plate, cast-iron, or concrete, and the manner in which a tunnel-is constructed when .bands or chords may be made of wire or other 4o employing the roof or shield of the present inrope or of straps. 90 vention. As clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the

The general idea of this invention is that of terminals of the tension chord members et a roof or shield for a tunnel which is adapted are provided with eyes 9, with which are conto be submerged to rest upon a natural or arnected draft-bars 10, constituting a continua- 45 ticial foundation positioned on the natural, tion of the said members, and in the con- 95 dredged, or excavated bottom of any body of struction shown in I Figs. 1 and 2 the inner water, the structure to have sufiicient staends of these draft-bars are provided with bility, strength, and stiffness to resist preseyes, to be engaged by a length of rope or sure from above or below when supported chain constituting the tourniquet 5, the twist- 5o along its edges only, thereby to permit of exing member 11 of which is held against turn- Ico ing when the band has been placed under requisite tension by being brought into engagement with the chord-stiffener. In the construction shown in Fig. 2 the inner ends of the draft-bars are threaded for engagement by the turnbuckle 6 in the usual manner.

In the construction shown in Fig. 3 the brackets or hangers 8 are omitted; but it is to be understood that, if preferred, these may be employed, and in this latter construction the compression members 1 are disposed at an angle to each other instead of being curved.

In all the forms of embodiment of the invention herein illustrated the essential features are the arch or compression members 1, the chord-stiifeners 7, and the bands and chord tension members 3 and 4, respectively.

In order to render clear an understanding of how the roof or shield of the present invention is employed, a description of a proposed method of operation will be given.

The bottom of the river or other body of water is irst dredged to a suitable depth, as shown in Fig. 4, and a foundation 11, preferably of concrete in bags, is laid to occupy a position beneath the edges of the shield. The shield in sections of suitable length is then floated to position and lowered to approximate line and grade, previous to which,

- however, pulley-blocks 12 are fastened to the keep out water from above keep in air below.

forward end of the shield, by means of which the next section of shield may be guided to position. At intervals of from one hundred to iive hundred feet, or as desired, bulkheads 13 are constructed between the abutting ends yof two sections, between which when in position suin'cent room is left to fill the space with concrete or clay to insure a tight joint in the event of using compressed air, the bulkhead being covered by a mattress 14 of archtimbers, the other abutting joints being covered with a heavy felt or steel covering, and over the entire shield when thus positioned a covering of clay and sand is deposited to and, if used, to If this covering be shallow, barges loaded with pig-iron may be sunk temporarily across the shield to hold it down while the arch is progressing from beneath. From adjacent shafts connection is then made with each end of the shield and the excavation begins. If the underlying material be rock, the excavation may proceed as an open cut, air being used, if necessary. If the said material be ordinary clay or solid earth, the work may also proceed as an open cut, care being taken to sheath the sides at l5 to hold the supporting-foundations. If, however, the ground be soft or treacherous, compressed air may be used, and the Work may proceed as follows: Side drifts will be run out adjacent to the edges of the arch, and at intervals of, say, five feet, casing-pipe 15 in suitable lengths will be sunk to the required depth and filled with concrete, and the shield Will be temporarily blocked up thereon, as at 16.

The central shaft is then run out for a short distance to the full depth, and in the bottom a section 17 of foundation is laid, and from this the shield is again supported by stanchions 18 While the sides are being excavated. As the sides are brought up the draft-bars lO may be separated, as shown by dotted lines in Figs. l and 4, and dropped to be built into the masonry and be made a part thereof,

thereby to transmit a part of the Weight of the tunnel to the side foundations and also hold the shield in place. If preferred, the chord-stiifeners may be removed.

. By the employment of the shield of this invention greater security results to the workmen building the arch and opportunity is afforded for examining the character of material and to arrange suitablefoundations as the arch progresses. Further, in case of ordinary soil or rock underlying the bottom the tunnel may be built close to the surface, thereby reducing the depth of the tunnel correspondingly inshore.

It Will be understood that in carrying the invention into practical operation various changes in the location of the different parts and in the manner of their assemblage may be resorted to and still be within the scope of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A roof or shield for tunnels comprising a plurality of compression members, superposed arch members,chordstiffeners abutting the compression members, and means for binding the parts together.

2. A roof or shield for tunnels comprising a plurality of compression members, superposed arch mem bers disposed transversely thereof, chord-stiffeners associated with the compression members, and tension devices for holding the parts together.

3. Aroof or shield for tunnels, comprising a plurality of' compression members, superposed arch members disposed transversely thereof, chord-stiffeners depending from the compression members, and assembling-bands having means associated therewith for placing them under the desired tension.

4. A roof or shield for tunnels comprising a plurality of compression members, superposed arch members disposed transversely thereof, chord-stiffeners abutting the compression members, assembling-bands having their terminals disposed beneath the chordstieners, and a tension device associated with the said terminals.

5. A roof or shield for tunnels,comprising a plurality of angularly-disposed compression members, superposed arch members, chordstiifeners associated with the compression members and means for binding the parts together.

6. A roof or shield for tunnels,comprising a plurality of arched compression members composed of I-beams, suitably spaced apart,

IOO

IIO

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superposed arch members, ebord-stieners my own have hereto affixed my signature in associated with the compression members, asthe presence of two Witnesses.

semblinCf-bands enorclino' the arch members I.

and havng their termnas disposed beneath i JAMES C MEEM' 5 the ehord-stieners, and e tension device as- Witnesses:

soeated with the said terminals. LIZZIE M. MURPHY,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as n T. J. MURPHY. 

